U.S. stock-index futures rose slightly on Wednesday as investors' sentiment remained weighed down by simmering tensions on the Korean peninsula and concerns that the category 5 hurricane Irma could hit the United States.

Global Stocks:

Nikkei 19,357.97 -27.84 -0.14%

Hang Seng 27,613.76 -127.59 -0.46%

Shanghai 3,385.88 +1.56 +0.05%

S&P/ASX 5,689.73 -16.50 -0.29%

FTSE 7,340.37 -32.55 -0.44%

CAC 5,095.11 +8.55 +0.17%

DAX 12,199.58 +75.87 +0.63%

Crude $49.16 (+1.03%)

Gold $1,344.40 (-0.01%)

(company / ticker / price / change ($/%) / volume)

Caterpillar (CAT) initiated with a Neutral at Seaport Global Securities; target $120

Apple (AAPL) target raised to $185 from $175 at Instinet

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) target lowered to $14 from $17 at Mizuho

United Tech (UTX) downgraded to Market Perform from Outperform at Cowen

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) downgraded to Underperform from Neutral at BofA/Merrill

Exxon Mobil (XOM) upgraded to Neutral from Sell at UBS

Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) reported Q3 FY 2017 earnings of $0.30 per share (versus $0.48 in Q3 FY 2016), beating analysts' consensus estimate of $0.26.

The company's quarterly revenues amounted to $8.209 bln (+2.5% y/y), beating analysts' consensus estimate of $7.494 bln.

The company also issued downside guidance for Q4, projecting EPS of $0.26-0.30 versus analysts' consensus estimate of $0.39.

HPE rose to $14.26 (+1.57%) in pre-market trading.

U.K. stocks turned lower Tuesday, clipped as the pound hit a three-week high and as investors wrestled with a downbeat report on British services activity and lingering tensions surrounding North Korea's nuclear program. The FTSE 100 UKX, -0.52% fell 0.5% to close at 7,372.92, with only the oil and gas and utilities sectors showing gains. The index had been higher early in the session as shares of miners and retailers rose.

U.S. stocks closed firmly lower on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 snapping a six-day winning streak, as investors focused on heightened tensions between the West and North Korea and worries about a lack of progress on President Donald Trump's pro-growth agenda. Low trading volume, particularly as investors returned from a holiday-lengthened Labor Day weekend, added to the downbeat tone on Wall Street.

Asian stocks fell as nations grapple with how to deal with escalating provocations from North Korea. The yen was near its strongest level for the year and U.S. Treasury yields were at their lowest since the aftermath of Donald Trump's November election win.